After Bledsoe went down in week 2 of the 2001 season, here's a sampling of what the supposedly great football writer had to say between week 2 and week 3:

" ... The New England Alliance of Drew Bledsoe Bashers now will get its wish. it will get to see first-hand what life without Bledsoe will be like ...

All those who have insisted he's not mobile enough or accurate enough or talented enough or brave enough will learn what should be obvious, and that's with no disrespect for his replacement, young Tom Brady.

The simple fact is, the bulk of Bledsoe's problems in recent seasons have not been caused by him; they've been caused by the people around him.

His offensive line is not good. ... [quoting an unnamed coach] 'They got no running back and you can just run through their linemen and get to Bledsoe. What's he supposed to do about that.' ...

[Bledsoe's injury] will show a lot of people just what he means to the Patriots. It's a big price to pay to make people understand his value, but he's been paying his own high price with his body for the past two years just to play at all.

Now somebody else will pay that price and the football world will see exactly what the cost of losing Bledsoe's services will be in Foxborough. The cost of playing without Drew Bledsoe will be high for the Patriots, just as the cost of playing with the Patriots has been for him for far too long."

LITP, as a Patriots fan, what was his worst moment?
there are lots of nominations

the Steeler game at Foxboro in 1997 when they had the ball and an 8 point lead with 2 minutes to go in the game that decided the #2 seed. He throws it to a LB

the Steeler playoff game that year when they lose 7-6 and he gets stripped by Vrabel

the Steeler game in 1993 when they lose on the last play because he cant sneak it in from the 1 inch line, the Frankenstein

the 2000 game against either Tampa Bay or Minnesota, i dont remember, when on the last play of the game, needing a score, he throws it into the stands instead of at least taking a crack at the end zone

the mosh pit when he crippled a girl. for some reason the media has never held him accountable for that. if it were Vick,McNabb, Culpepper? hmmm? just sayin....

LITP, as a Patriots fan, what was his worst moment?
there are lots of nominations

the Steeler game at Foxboro in 1997 when they had the ball and an 8 point lead with 2 minutes to go in the game that decided the #2 seed. He throws it to a LB

the Steeler playoff game that year when they lose 7-6 and he gets stripped by Vrabel

the Steeler game in 1993 when they lose on the last play because he cant sneak it in from the 1 inch line, the Frankenstein

the 2000 game against either Tampa Bay or Minnesota, i dont remember, when on the last play of the game, needing a score, he throws it into the stands instead of at least taking a crack at the end zone

the mosh pit when he crippled a girl. for some reason the media has never held him accountable for that. if it were Vick,McNabb, Culpepper? hmmm? just sayin....

The most frustrating thing about Bledsoe is that he always seemed to be on the edge of doing somthing great - and then falling short.

Game wise, it would have to be the Steeler game at F'Boro when he threw in the INT.

I cannot really find it in me to blame him for getting strip sacked - the guy was a lumberer and we all knew he was.

He was one of those rare QB's who seemed extremely brave one minute - the amount of huge hits he took was phenomenal - and a bit of a pu55y cat the next - making crazy throws when the other team brought the pressure.

I think the guy doesn't have the right mentality to go a whole game (a big game) without making some crazy decision - he gets alot of praise for stepping in for Brady in the Pitt game and throwing that TD - but after that point he produced next to nothing and was very nearly picked off a couple of times.

On the other hand, Bledsoe does suffer because of the comparisons we draw to the QB who took the reins after him.